10 JUNE 1989, Page 20

Retrospect

SOMEWHERE among the white-coated chemists at Wellcome, there seems to lurk a classicist with a misguided sense of humour. Wellcome's prized discovery and the great spur to the share price is its drug for treating Aids. This has been named Retrovir. From the Latin — vir, a man, retro, backwards? If so, I can see why the classicist chose the respected usage, vir. He would never have got away with Retroho- mo.